Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 17 ISSUE 1
Written by Raphael Ndubuisi ECHEBIRI, Chigozirim Ndubuisi ONWUSIRIBE, Daniel Chinedu NWAOGU

This paper examined livelihood diversification as a survival strategy and a means to escape food insecurity among rural farm households in Abia state. Although still of central importance, farming on its own is increasingly unable to provide a sufficient means of survival in rural areas thus necessitating the need for diversification. Food security condition was not much improved as about 67% of the households were unable to meet their daily food energy requirement with 8% of relative deficiency. The logit regression result showed that diversification was influenced by household size, amount of credit received, education of the household head, cooperative membership and monthly income while food security status was influenced by years of education of household head, credit access, monthly income, age of household head and household size. Rural farmers should be encourage to participate in varied income generating activities in both agriculture and nonagricultural ventures to enhance their income and break the vicious cycle of poverty and impoverishment. The provision of soft loans at reduced interest prices will catalyze involvement in non-farm income generating activities thereby creating a boost in household income and consequently, welfare.

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